INTERVIEW #47 WEDRESS COLLECTIVE
Based in: Vienna, Austria
Founded in: 2020
Founded by: Jasmin Huber
Shop at/ship to: www.wedresscollective.com; App following in August 2022). The service is available in Vienna, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt, accompanied by Pop Up experiences.
Price range: 2-50 EUR/day (rental price)
Instagram: @wedresscollective
What is WeDress Collective and why did you start?
WeDress is a fashion rental collective, offering our members the possibility too easily and sustainably lend and rent high quality fashion. Our WeDress system enables you to enjoy fashion to the fullest by living up to your values. With a focus on sustainability, circularity and fun, we are creating a wide range of clothes and accessories while reducing our environmental footprint. We rethink fashion consumption and offer you a smart and attractive solution to express your love and passion for fashion without the negative side effects of traditional shopping. Think the Airbnb of quality fashion and add a bunch of cool, diverse and value oriented people who share their love for fashion, that’s us.
WeDress was born out of love for high quality fashion and passion for a fashion world that allows consumption to exist without harming others or the environment.
As a passionate fashionista, fashion expression and diversity have always been very important to me and played a significant role in my life. Therefore, I dealt with sustainability very early on, which is why in 2013 I decided to switch to sustainable clothing and consume less. I became a "heavy user" of second-hand platforms and part of the fair fashion world. The topic of consuming better and smarter naturally played a steadily growing role in my life during this time. At the same time I was struggling very hard to combine my fashion appetite and my guilty conscience coming from that. Shopping better is fine, but for me this wasn’t the end of the road or solution to my 1st world problems.
Finally, the concept of WeDress came to me. The idea of a platform that changes consumption, allowing and enabling every person to satisfy their existing needs for fashion - with no sacrifices or negative effects on people and the planet.
How does the concept work?
Private individuals or brands (past collections, overstock, sample pieces) rent out their currently "unloved“ items by uploading them to our platform. After the registration and upload of the items people from the same city can rent the clothes from 2 EUR/day (we follow a local approach to ensure convenience and sustainability throughout the whole process). We team up with local bike couriers, green logistics partners and cleaning places to offer you the best experience. Once an item has been rented you wear it, enjoy it and give it back. The lender gets an additional income and WeDress gets a 20% commission of the total rental price.
Who uses from WeDress Collective, who are your customers?
Our customers range from 25 years old students to 80 year old women enjoying their retirement to the fullest, mostly female. People from all sizes, backgrounds, nationalities, etc. are welcome at WeDress. Our collective is very diverse, which can drive marketing strategists pretty crazy (defining your persona can be hard). For sure all of them share a big love for fashion.
What have been and are the major challenges?
Starting a business two weeks before the pandemic and proving a product-market fit. It was really crazy in March 2020, when we started out and the problem we wanted to solve with WeDress was somehow gone, as humanity was facing a pandemic and going nowhere. Understanding priorities, keeping up the spirit and pivoting lots of times was part of the daily business.
What has been the largest gain?
Redefining success and growth (besides traditional capitalistic concepts) for us as a company was crucial to “survive“ the crazy pandemic times and living up to that.
Understanding and defining our values, brand identity and culture.
Understanding my role as a “leader“ in order to bring value to the team, the company and the brand.
What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
Puh, a lot of things need to change:
legislation
our understanding of value, wealth and waste
fashion industry would need to change from an ego- to a needs-driven industry
channel funding and investment money in sustainable, circular and human-oriented business
banning greenwashing and transparency
Just to name a few
What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
Start with small things and steps that can easily be integrated into your lifestyle and build on from that and add something new every week or month and listen to yourself: how does it feel? Be proud and inspire others, don’t judge!
What's the best thing about WeDress Collective?
The amazing people and of course the fashion pieces shared by them.
Do you have any useful tips for someone who wants to start their own rental business shop?
As lot has been said already: Have fun, listen and learn every day.
